photo of my boys by the lovely angella (who is more than welcome to visit us again and again)
fried okra
leisurely strolling hand-in-hand with my toddler
carousels
ocean breezes on my face
my husband’s golden olive skin
eating cheetos on road trips
playing the guitar
wito’s marshmallow-like scent (it’s a great mystery!)
finding the perfect lip gloss
brightly-colored peonies
If you had to choose one favorite thing right this very minute, what would it be?
The exquisite Erika from Makeup Bag (the greatest beauty blog EVER) sent in some incredible tips for dealing with fine hair.
I have super fine, limp hair and am always looking for ways to add volume. For fine hair like mine, the BEST TRICK EVER is you must apply product (my favorite is the Amplify Volumizing System by Matrix) and blow-dry hair while it’s sopping wet. After I get out of the shower, I only let my hair air-dry for MAX five minutes otherwise it will be flat and sad and likely require a pony tail. With shower-wet hair, I’m able to create a style with my blow-dryer that is full of volume and stays all day.
Another quick way to achieve volume is with a waver. If my morning is crazy and my hair ends up air-drying before I can get to the blow-dryer, I’ll just use a waver to create fast, easy waves. I’ll even crimp a few strands before throwing my hair in a ponytail to add a little glamour to my boring style.
Fine hair is easily weighed down so steer clear of too-rich deep conditioners and super long layers. I find that two inches below the collarbone is as long as I can go without the weight of my hair leaving me limp and flat. Also, use product sparingly. You’ll need to play around to find the right amount for your hair but too much product is as bad as no product at all for us fine-haired friends.
Thanks, Erika! I’m sure these tips will come in handy for many tress-obsessed ladies.
Share the hair love! If you have a great hair tip or two, email me with the details.
Terrible twos, my ass. MY ASS. To any and all of you currently struggling with the terrible twos, I invite you to come spend a couple of minutes dealing with the Impending Threes. Remember this photo from exactly a year ago?
I’m almost two and my life is a heaping pile of dog shit.
I now present to you Wito’s emotional state at 6:45 this morning.
Such a beautiful day! May I have some blueberry yogurt?
I now present to you Wito’s emotional state at 6:46 this morning.
I DON’T WANT SIX BLUEBERRIES IN MY YOGURT! I WANT FOOOUUURRRR! THIS KITCHEN FLOOR IS TOO HAAAAARD AND I DON’T LIKE YOU, MOMMY!!
Other notable changes include:
1. Waking up at 5:30 a.m. in his big boy bed, jumping out and running into our room, screaming, “WHAT ARE WE DOING TODAY, MOMMY?”
2. Melodrama. While gleefully playing with his trains on the floor, Wito will suddenly look at me with insta-tears in eyes, pleading with me to get him some raisins from the kitchen. OMG, the drama. Just ASK for a snack, kid. No need to reinact Brad Pitt’s sobbing scene in Legends of the Fall over a damn box of raisins. (Will I ever quote a movie from the current decade? Stay tuned!))
3. Completely asinine requests that are nearly impossible to perform. “Make a blue truck sound, mommy. No, that’s a white truck sound! I SAID A BLUE TRUCK SOUND! BLUE TRUCKS GO BRUUUUUM, WHITE TRUCKS GO BRAAAAAM.” (Once again, dissolving into a puddle of tears on the floor.)
4. Constant repetition. The current favorite around here is, “Where are we going to next?” (TIMES 13,000) Where are we going to next, kid? TO THE ORPHANAGE.
5. Walking up to me, putting his chubby-knuckled hands on my face and saying, “I love you, mommy.”
Uh, forget everything I just said. #5 makes up for everything, doesn’t it? Someone buy this sweet, long-lashed angel a pony!
Meet Elizabeth and her two previous hairstyles.
From Elizabeth’s email:
I’m attaching two photos: one with my current length – which is long. The shorter hair is from 2007, when I had a sort of Katie Holmes-ish cut, first with full, heavy bangs, and then side-swept bangs as they grew out. I loved that short hair, especially because I think it made my awfully fine hair look fuller. I do like the long hair, now that I’ve finally gotten past the awkward in between stages. My first question is whether there is a length or actual style that would be good for me. Now that my hair is long, the layers are remnants from shorter days, and it’s mostly just one length. But my other question is about BANGS. Now that my hair is long, I see the posts about ponytail-bangs and LOVE them. What I’m concerned about is my very short forehead combined with dark eyes, dark eyebrows, and non-subtle glasses. Bangs look so cute on other people! Can I pull them off?
Elizabeth. First off, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the shorter length on you. ADORE. However, I totally understand you wanting to rock the longer hair after the dealing with the annoying growing out phase. Just know that if you decide to chop again, I will be your number one supporter.
Back to the question at hand. Can you pull off bangs? ABSOLUTELY! Your shiny, fine, glossy hair will be a breeze to style with bangs, and since you previously had them, you already know how to style. Check out these two options.
